Chapter 360: The Japanese Army Who Jumps Over the Wall
Before the troops attacked, the artillery formed in echelons also continued to carry out large-scale fire suppression deep into the Japanese army and various core highland anti-slope position groups according to the reset goals. The front-slope blockade task originally performed by the artillery,
The task was changed to anti-aircraft machine guns and direct-aiming small-caliber artillery groups, which was obviously more in line with the situation on the Cheorwon battlefield.
The artillery also has to undertake other combat tasks. If the number is small, it cannot form a tight fire blockade network. If the number is large, it will affect the entire firepower deployment. The task of blocking various highlands will be handed over to the direct-aiming anti-aircraft machine guns and mortar groups, which not only saves
The large number of artillery also inadvertently increased the density of firepower.
After all, compared with artillery, the power of machine guns is of course that of artillery. But at certain specific locations, the power of artillery is not necessarily better than that of machine guns. At least within a unit time, the density of firepower cannot be compared to that of artillery. These
The flat-firing anti-aircraft machine gun has a long range and is powerful. Most importantly, it is more flexible than the fire blockade network composed of artillery groups.
In some areas, even placing only one anti-aircraft machine gun can effectively cut off the connection between the Japanese defenders on the core highlands and the Japanese troops on the frontier highlands. Cut off the connection between the Japanese core highlands and the forward highlands.
The disrupted Japanese army could only be dispersed and fight on their own. This undoubtedly created a great opportunity for the attacking troops.
After readjusting tactics, the progress of the Cheorwon battlefield was significantly accelerated. On the first day of Yang Jicai's offensive progress, he successively uprooted the front of Gaotaishan and several of the most important core highland groups of the Japanese army on both wings. It tore through Gaotaishan,
This battlefield south of Cheorwon is the core defense line of the Japanese army.
The battle continued until noon on the second day. On the battlefields on both sides of the Hantan River, Yang Jicai mobilized two fully-formed battalions that had been practicing tactics before but had never been put into battle. They entered the battlefield from the gap opened by the forward troops and directly attacked the Han Dynasty.
The Japanese troops launched an attack on the core positions on both sides of the Nanda River.
After being mobilized to the battlefield, these two fully-manned organic battalions, with the cooperation of the artillery advancing behind them, rushed towards the Japanese army like tigers out of the mountains. At this moment, Gaotaishan and Wenhuili, the core of the Japanese army, were in
Under the cover of a large number of incendiary bombs fired by the artillery, there were blazing fires everywhere.
The battered Japanese army could only abandon some of their forward covering fortifications and gradually began to shrink their troops to the core fortification group. However, in the face of the large number of incendiary bombs fired by the counterattack and the rapid offensive, the somewhat impatient Japanese army finally
Played his trump card.
The artillery deployed by the Japanese army in the deep area south of Gaotai Mountain began to fire a large number of poison gas shells at Gaotai Mountain and the highlands controlled by the Anti-League north of the Wenhuili line. Within a day, the Japanese army only fired mustard gas and Lewis mixed poison shells.
More than 20,000 rounds were fired. It is now spring, and the southeast wind on the Korean Peninsula has turned the entire battlefield north of Mount Gaotai into a place full of poisonous gas.
However, the Japanese army did not expect that Yang Jicai, who had been squatting at the front for two days, anticipated that the Japanese army might use poison gas bombs on a large scale from the difference in equipment equipped by their defensive troops, and had already begun to make certain preparations. All participating in the war.
The troops, including rear personnel, are each provided with a gas mask.
Although the large number of poison gas shells fired by the Japanese army caused some interference, they basically did not achieve the results they wanted. The large number of poison gas canisters deployed in the forward positions also lost their effectiveness due to the large number of incendiary bombs fired by the anti-alliance artillery.
Opportunities to act.
The anxious Japanese army tried to use poison gas warfare to stop the anti-alliance offensive plan, but under Yang Jicai's painstaking deployment, it basically failed. The highly anticipated poison gas warfare failed, which meant that the 137th Division had no choice but to provide desperate reinforcements.
, basically there is no other alternative.
Of course, unless the North Korean army mobilized a large number of reinforcements to the Cheorwon line in a short period of time. Otherwise, as long as Yang Jicai could capture Gaodaishan and Munhyeri, it would mean that the entire Japanese defense system south of Cheorwon, including the west of Cheorwon
Including the Jinhua battlefield, it will be completely broken through.
Cheorwon and Jinhua are at an angle to each other in the entire central area of North Korea. No matter which point is broken through, it will be difficult to hold on to the other point with all the flanks exposed. Yang Jicai made a breakthrough on the Cheorwon front line. After all the flanks were exposed,
The entire frontal defense line of Jinhua was also shaken.
As for Cheorwon, which is roughly in the middle of the entire Korean Peninsula, once Jinhua is broken through, the protrusion formed will cause a lot of uncertainties in the entire war situation in central Korea. Although Cheorwon City is small,
But it happened to be in a position on the battlefield in central Korea where a single move could affect the whole body.
After receiving a report of a large number of poisonous gas shells being fired by the Japanese troops at the front, Yang Jicai breathed a sigh of relief. If he hadn't discovered the problem from some clues on the Japanese troops who were changing defenses and made some preparations, I'm afraid this time his offensive would have...
Not to mention being exposed to these poisonous gases, this number of casualties would be enough to break the bones of the Seventeenth Division.
Fortunately, he had made careful preparations, so he did not let the Japanese army jump over the wall. Since the threat of gas warfare was not great, there was nothing that could stop him in front of him. On the one hand, Yang Jicai ordered the troops not to rush forward in a hurry.
When intersecting with other troops, pay more attention to coordination with neighboring troops.
On the other hand, he also constantly adjusted the deployment of artillery to provide the most favorable support for the attacking troops in response to changes in the battle situation. He had only one requirement for the artillery in this battle, and that was that wherever the troops hit, their artillery shells would fall.
Where. Artillery maneuvers must keep pace with changes and developments in the battle situation.
The poison gas war failed to work. Yang Jicai's black tiger heart-breaking tactics completely broke the Japanese defense system in front of Cheorwon. Lieutenant General Akiyama Yidu, commander of the Japanese 137th Division in front of Cheorwon, faced the anti-alliance attack force.
It penetrated directly into its core position, and in desperation mobilized surrounding troops to quickly reinforce the Wenhuili and Gaotaishan front lines.
Yang Jicai, who was not afraid of the Japanese army moving, but afraid that the Japanese army would not move, was waiting for this opportunity. After discovering the Japanese troops in the surrounding areas and in depth, he quickly sent reinforcements to Gaotaishan and Wenhuili. Yang Jicai immediately mobilized artillery, using Gaotaishan and Wenhuili as the base.
A tight fire blockade zone was constructed around the core.
Especially in the front-line battle against Gaotaishan, he mobilized almost all the 160mm mortars. Using the high trajectory and huge power of this large-caliber mortar, the intersecting troops had not completed the attack on Gaotaishan.
Before outflanking, a fire interception network was constructed on the reverse slope area of Gaotai Mountain.
This kind of heavy mortar is indeed bulky, but its special role in blocking anti-slope positions is unmatched by howitzers and cannons. The huge power of its shells is also unmatched by those of medium-caliber mortars.
Since not many troops could be deployed on the hilltop or front, the entire Cheorwon battlefield anti-slope position was an important area for the Japanese army to store troops.
Whether the anti-slope position can be blocked is the key to the battle for Gaotaishan. As early as the initial deployment, Yang Jicai had consciously made some preparations for the front line of Gaotaishan. Not only did he form a trapezoidal configuration in the artillery deployment,
Moreover, certain measures were taken as far as possible to maneuver the artillery.
Because although these 160mm mortars are powerful, they have poor range and maneuverability. Whether the artillery support can keep up with the pace of front-line troops is also related to whether Gaotaishan, the core position of the Japanese army, can quickly
The key to success.
Although this kind of heavy mortar has a maximum range of more than 8,000 meters, its accuracy when shooting from a long distance is not very high, and the farther the range, the worse the accuracy. In order to block the Japanese anti-slope position in Gaotaishan, these heavy mortars at least
It is necessary to advance one to two thousand meters in order to provide fire cover for the frontline troops within the highest accuracy range possible.
Therefore, Yang Jicai made certain preparations before the war. He also strengthened the best artillery staff of the 17th Division to this heavy mortar battalion. He also modified the entire division's medium jeeps and the two light tanks.
All the bulldozers were given to this heavy mortar battalion.
I just hope that this heavy mortar battalion can play its due role in this kind of mountain battle, especially the most critical battle for Gaotai Mountain. As an expert in artillery use, Yang Jicai clearly knows these heavy mortar attacks.
Although artillery has shortcomings of one kind or another, it is still very suitable for such shallow and deep mountainous operations.
The most critical thing is that these heavy mortars weigh more than one ton. Although they are too heavy as a mortar, they limit the most important position of the mortar, which is the mobility ability to follow the infantry. The maximum rate of fire is three rounds per minute.
, the sustained rate of fire is only one round per minute, and the rate of fire is a bit too low. The maximum range of more than 8,000 meters is somewhat inadequate for the caliber of this gun.
However, when it comes to suppressing enemy anti-slope positions, both the ballistic performance and the power of artillery shells are unmatched by other types of artillery. It is for this reason that Yang Jicai not only places great hopes on these heavy mortars.
This kind of artillery, which is best for suppressing reverse slopes, is placed in the position of mobile artillery.
And this heavy mortar battalion, under Yang Jicai's painstaking adjustments, did not disappoint him. It has performed well since the battle started, playing a role that ordinary howitzers and cannons cannot play. It first cooperated with the attacking troops and defeated them.
The main attack direction was towards the core highlands of the Japanese army, and mobile forces were accumulated on the reverse slope. This ensured that each attacking force could quickly seize the Japanese anti-slope positions after completing the front slope attack operations.
When the battle for Gaotaishan was launched, a mobile artillery group was formed with the cooperation of five temporarily strengthened 120mm mortars. With accurate and fierce artillery fire, Gaotaishan was reversed to the slope.
The Japanese troops in the position were cut off from the Japanese troops south of Gaotai Mountain.
According to Yang Jicai's request, the 120mm mortar uses its high rate of fire to make up for the slow rate of fire of the 160mm mortar. The 160mm mortar needs to cooperate with the school-firing aircraft.
Below. Except for the first round of volleys that covered the entire Japanese anti-slope position in Gaotaishan, the rest was divided into two parts. One part was responsible for blocking the south of Gaotaishan and deepening the Japanese reinforcement route.
The other part continues to cooperate with the 120mm mortar group blocking the ridge line to carry out vertex clearing and suppression, as well as destructive shooting, against the Gaotaishan anti-slope position and the frontal Japanese fortification group. This kind of mortar
No matter how many shortcomings it has, the power of the cannonball is still great enough.
The first covering salvo destroyed 80% of the Japanese anti-slope positions on Gaotaishan. One shell of this thing can directly penetrate a five-story building. Under the guidance of the airborne calibration aircraft
Come on, doing these civil engineering works is not just about holding things in hand.
After using the rear howitzers, cannon groups, and intensive artillery fire to drive the frontal Japanese troops into the fortifications and anti-gun holes, the 160mm mortar then used its unique ballistics and the lethality of the shells to attack the Japanese fortification groups.
Using destructive shooting, this combination of suppression and destructive tactics caused great damage to the Japanese troops in Gaotaishan.